Bug FAQAdelphagrotis stellaris
Adelphagrotis stellaris · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The adult moth has a wingspan of about 36 mm. Adults are flying from July through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan is roughly 36 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae eat a variety of flowering trees and shrubs such as Vaccinium, Symphoricarpos, Rubus spectabilis, and Oemleria cerasiformis.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing in July and August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native to the West Coast of North America, from southern British Columbia to central California.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 13 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Oregon, Washington, California, New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Georgia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae of Adelphagrotis stellaris eat?
They feed on flowering trees and shrubs like Vaccinium, Symphoricarpos, Rubus spectabilis, and Oemleria cerasiformis.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Noctuidae)
Ipsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Army Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Silver ΥAutographa gamma
American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelphagrotis_stellaris
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.